poi

During the month of March, in preparation for Earth Day, April 22nd, 2018, we will be hosting an array of Fire Ceremonies releasing limiting beliefs that prevent us from showing up in a good way. One of the ways we can be in right relationship with the world around us is by acknowledging our own contribution to feeding limiting beliefs. Many people use their busy life as an excuse not to focus on themselves. Well, this is an event that will be encouraging focus on the self so we can truly allow ourselves to be the stewards of change.

March 25th – 3-8pm in Springfield, VA. Event link on Meetup and Facebook

The one I’m most excited about? The one in Cascades, MD. It’s set in a beautiful little mountain neighborhood, and we will be picking up trash along a waterfall earlier in the day. Soolah Hoops is a fire performer with a local fire troop called Pyrophoric. We will be teaming up to combine spiritual/mental/emotional diving with practical application. Fire is a wonderful and transformative tool, and we will be provided fire spinning cord cutting on March 10th. Truly let go and allow those old beliefs and what you agreed to hold you back go up in flames! Literally! We will hold space for you.

Here is the event description and itinerary (basic outline, adjust 1 hour for those participating in Cascades) for those interested in attending:

In honor of Earth Day on April 22nd, we will be laying the ground work for stepping into a new story. The stories we tell ourselves have power, and some of our old stories are rooted in old beliefs that we didn’t even know that we had. We don’t have to justify trying to “be Green” anymore. A vast majority of the population already know we need to change the way we are living because it’s not sustainable. Most people have good intentions about doing good things for the Earth, like recycling, eating green, buying organic, or using canvas grocery bags. However, good intentions aren’t enough. Typically when we are rushed or stressed, we buy food on the run, throw away trash to release the clutter instead of recycling, and forgetting the canvas grocery bags at home. It’s our human nature, and typically the story we tell ourselves is, “I don’t have enough time”, “That takes up too much energy” or “But it’s so hard to remember”. Those are all stories we tell ourselves, and they are rooted in beliefs.

For those that don’t know, a fire ceremony can be used as a transformative tool to effectively dive down into our psyche, manifest what our old beliefs are into power objects, and then release them to the fire to be transformed. Energy can neither be created, nor destroyed – only transformed. If you are trying to create a fundamental change, but are unwilling to give things up, how can you welcome more onto your plate when your plate is already full? By being able to discuss, share space with other like minded people, and craft power objects – we will lay the groundwork for a true transformative process that involves our mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies.

The schedule will go as follows, but it subject to change. This is BASIC OUTLINE:

3p – Gather and begin building a community altar. Introduce ourselves with one another, and get acquainted.
3:30 – Set the container, weave the circle, and set the intention
4:00 – Explanation of what we will be doing, and go over the plan/itinerary so everyone is on the same page
4:30 – Diagnostic journeys to see what the limiting beliefs are that we will be releasing into the power object. How do we make these objects? Share and discuss if called to. Sometimes the act of sharing helps us become more concrete about our answers.
5-6:30 – Arts and crafts time! This is where we will be intentional with our crafts. There will be a space to dance, hoop, and spin if needed in order to get into our bodies and have a more clear sense of what is happening/going on. Embodiment is key!
6:30 – Sit in silence with our power objects. Now that we have manifested them into physical reality, they no longer hold power over us in our mind/emotions/spirit. Now is the opportunity to thank it for allowing us to get this far, but acknowledging that it is time to let go. Here is where we ask what the true nature of this object is, and how we can release it in a good way.
7:00 – Fire cleansing, cord cuttings, and lighting the big fire. Last minute releases before we truly allow ourselves to experience the full “release” of tossing in these power objects
7:30 – Gathering around the fire as a group and releasing our power objects into the fire one by one. We support each other, and we become sacred witnesses for those going through their process.
8:00 – Sing one last song together as a group and begin closing up our circle, releasing the energies we called forward.

Potluck after!

Things to bring:
-Journal or something to record experiences with
-Leftover crafting supplies (scissors, paint, glue gun, twine))
-Things you’ve been meaning to burn for a while (letters from an ex, old photos, *burnable* things – ie please no plastics, make it fire friendly)
-Drum, rattle, didgeridoo, sacred objects
-Food for potluck. There will be people there with food allergies or dietary restrictions, so please if possible – list the ingredients on a note card or bring the packaging.
-Ceremony run off of donation and sacred reciprocity. Suggested donation is $20-$40 to help offset costs of running Ceremony.

Things to be mindful of:
-NO DRUGS OR ALCOHOL prior or during Ceremonial space, ESPECIALLY because we will be dealing with fire. Please be “clean” and try to refrain from drugs or alcohol at least a full 24 hours before. Prescription meds (especially if you need them to live) are an exception.
-Pay attention to boundaries and space. Not everyone is a hug-filled person. This Ceremony can get pretty intense, so please ask for consent or permission to give someone a hug/touch someone unless you know them well.